Mizzou's Michael Sam comes out

[Nyk33]

Michael Sam has a reality show with Oprah.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/14/michael-sam-gets-a-reality-show-on-oprahs-network/

I'm not sure I like this direction for Michael Sam. Obviously he is going to make a lot of money but I feel it is adding unnecessary fuel to the media inferno around him and is giving bigots a new avenue to attack him with by pegging him as a spotlight hog.

Since when is saying someone only wants attention is them being a bigot. This is my view on the matter, i certainly dont hate gays but I'm questioning Michael Sams intentions for coming out right now, and do feel he's just seeking attention he wouldn't get as a straight 7th round draft pick.

I guess you probably typed out this post before my edit so I will put my response to that valid point again.

Not everyone that is going to call Michael Sam a spotlight hog is going to be a homophobe but the bigots will be major players in pushing that to the forefront.

[wonderbread]

Michael Sam has a reality show with Oprah.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/14/michael-sam-gets-a-reality-show-on-oprahs-network/

I'm not sure I like this direction for Michael Sam. Obviously he is going to make a lot of money but I feel it is adding unnecessary fuel to the media inferno around him and is giving bigots a new avenue to attack him with by pegging him as a spotlight hog.

Since when is saying someone only wants attention is them being a bigot. This is my view on the matter, i certainly dont hate gays but I'm questioning Michael Sams intentions for coming out right now, and do feel he's just seeking attention he wouldn't get as a straight 7th round draft pick.

I guess you probably typed out this post before my edit so I will put my response to that valid point again.

Not everyone that is going to call Michael Sam a spotlight hog is going to be a homophobe but the bigots will be major players in pushing that to the forefront.

Yes this is true, I'll agree with you on this.

[IceCap]

i certainly dont hate gays but I'm questioning Michael Sams intentions for coming out right now...

So you don't hate gays...just when they come out? How exactly was he supposed to come out? What's the wonderbread approved way of coming out? Fact is he came out to the Missouri Tigers team privately. Which kind of kills your claim that he's doing all of this for attention. Further, he only came out in the way he did publicly when news that he is gay started to reach the press and NFL team officials. He did what he had to do to get ahead of the rumours so he could tell his own story. Not only that, but him coming out has already helped provide gay and bi teens with a positive role model that just might give them the courage to come out too. So I really don't care if you disapprove of how he's handled this whole thing. A lot of good's already been done by it. If it still bugs you, then tough. Learn to deal with it.

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ANYWAY onto the bigger picture. So some Christians like to make a big show about how their religion won't let them "accept" homosexuals. Never mind that it's been proven time and time again that one can be a good Christian and still be loving and accepting of homosexuals, there are those Christians that still claim that their interpretation of the Bible is what keeps them from being...well decent people. That according to their understanding of their religion homosexuality is just like murder and thievery.

Well according to the traditional view of the New Testament Jesus actually doesn't say anything about homosexuality. Given his general "turn the other cheek" and "he who is without sin" attitude one has to wonder if he would agree with the hate being spewed by some of his modern day followers.

Now I said the traditional view of the New Testament because, well, the whole thing about Jesus being silent on homosexuality may not be true. I present Matthew 19:11-12.

Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.

That was Jesus speaking to his followers. Now the word that concerns us is "eunuch." Today we understand it to mean a man who has been castrated. Yet the word had a wider meaning in first century Judea, where Jesus was raised. In that place and time the word used for "eunuch" was used to describe a man who did not sleep with women. The word was widely used to describe homosexuals, though it had other meanings as well.

When Jesus says "eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others" he's referring to what we would understand as the traditional term for the word; a man who has been castrated.

"[E]unuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven" refers to the priests who remained celibate in service to G-d.

The phrase "eunuchs who have been so from birth" seems to imply men born without the desire to sleep with women. Gay men. The only other possible group it could refer to would be men born without testicles. That was, and is, possible, but was so rare that one wonders if anyone would have felt the need to comment on it. Given that the word "eunuch" was used in Jesus' culture to describe gay men it's entirely possible that Jesus himself is describing homosexuals when he say "eunuchs who have been so from birth." He concludes this whole thing about the different types of "eunuchs" by saying "let anyone accept this who can."

So yeah...it all depends on interpretation, like most of the Bible. That being said I don't see how this interpretation is any less valid then anything else. It's entirely possible that the Bible actually has Jesus saying "gays are born that way, and y'all should be cool with that."

So think about that the next time someone says that they can't accept a gay person's sexuality because they're a "Christian."

[sportstar1212]

Capper, once again you hit the nail right on the :censored:ing head!

[IceCap]

Thank you

[CS85]

...and the OWN documentary has been shelved.

[wonderbread]

Ok icecap we obviously have different views on this situation and that is perfectly fine. You feel this should be broadcast everywhere for awareness ect for the good of society. I feel it should be a private matter that does not need the media attention to show that he is a normal human being and that being gay doesn't make him more important than anyone else, and i also feel he is pursuing this attention as well now that he's out of college and can get a benefit from it that the NCAA wouldn't allow. My weariness of this whole situation based off what he's said then the actions he takes not following those words gives me some suspicions because of the whole "actions speak louder than words" thing. I hope he does do well and gets awarded based off his performance on the field and nothing outside of it. I hope he becomes an influential figure because of his performance not just based off his sexual orientation. But right now i just view him as a 7th round draft pick and doesn't deserve the media attention he's getting especially since it's being taken away from individuals who do deserve it. I dont want this to be an argument this is just the way i feel about the subject. You can rip into this post all you want I will not post in this thread again.

[IceCap]

i just view him as a 7th round draft pick and doesn't deserve the media attention he's getting especially since it's being taken away from individuals who do deserve it.

I guess, but really? Analysis of the draft, before, during, and after, has reached masturbatory levels. And it just won't go away because the NFL won't give anyone a chance to actually miss it between the Super Bowl and the start of pre-season. So if we must talk about something NFL related it might as well be something that has wider reaching implications. Johnny Football's still gonna be there, and how he does in Cleveland isn't going to change because people are talking about Michael Sam.

You feel this should be broadcast everywhere for awareness ect for the good of society. I feel it should be a private matter that does not need the media attention to show that he is a normal human being and that being gay doesn't make him more important than anyone else, and i also feel he is pursuing this attention as well now that he's out of college and can get a benefit from it that the NCAA wouldn't allow. My weariness of this whole situation based off what he's said then the actions he takes not following those words gives me some suspicions because of the whole "actions speak louder than words" thing.

Look, being gay and a pro athlete shouldn't matter. It does though, whether anyone likes it or not. Just look at how people on social media reacted to Michael Sam kissing his boyfriend. We see straight athletes kissing their girlfriends or wives all the time, but Michael Sam kisses his boyfriend and everyone loses their minds! It's clear that, as sad as it may be, being openly gay in the NFL is a big deal. You think it would be less of a thing if he just kept quiet and lived his life? The media would blow up as soon as someone recognized him while on a date with his boyfriend.

So it is a big deal, simply because Michael Sam is the first openly gay man in the NFL. That's going to garner a lot of attention. The point is that once he starts playing people will realize that it's not a big deal. That's the end goal. It has to happen first, which will naturally get people talking, for it to become mundane later on.

[Kevin W.]

Michael Sam isn't doing this to make himself a story. The media is doing this to make a story out of Michael Sam. Face it, something like this is good for ratings because (no matter what a few OMG TEH GAYS ARE COMING FOR OUR KIDS people think) it's a positive story.

[wonderbread]

i just view him as a 7th round draft pick and doesn't deserve the media attention he's getting especially since it's being taken away from individuals who do deserve it.

I guess, but really? Analysis of the draft, before, during, and after, has reached masturbatory levels. And it just won't go away because the NFL won't give anyone a chance to actually miss it between the Super Bowl and the start of pre-season. So if we must talk about something NFL related it might as well be something that has wider reaching implications. Johnny Football's still gonna be there, and how he does in Cleveland isn't going to change because people are talking about Michael Sam.

You feel this should be broadcast everywhere for awareness ect for the good of society. I feel it should be a private matter that does not need the media attention to show that he is a normal human being and that being gay doesn't make him more important than anyone else, and i also feel he is pursuing this attention as well now that he's out of college and can get a benefit from it that the NCAA wouldn't allow. My weariness of this whole situation based off what he's said then the actions he takes not following those words gives me some suspicions because of the whole "actions speak louder than words" thing.

Look, being gay and a pro athlete shouldn't matter. It does though, whether anyone likes it or not. Just look at how people on social media reacted to Michael Sam kissing his boyfriend. We see straight athletes kissing their girlfriends or wives all the time, but Michael Sam kisses his boyfriend and everyone loses their minds! It's clear that, as sad as it may be, being openly gay in the NFL is a big deal. You think it would be less of a thing if he just kept quiet and lived his life? The media would blow up as soon as someone recognized him while on a date with his boyfriend.

So it is a big deal, simply because Michael Sam is the first openly gay man in the NFL. That's going to garner a lot of attention. The point is that once he starts playing people will realize that it's not a big deal. That's the end goal. It has to happen first, which will naturally get people talking, for it to become mundane later on.

ok i agree. I respect you i like your posting on here and didn't want to get in an argument about something like this.

[IceCap]

Back at you.

I agree with your underlying point, that one's sexuality shouldn't matter. I just don't think we've reached that point as a society yet.

[slapshot]

I think there are always going to be people for feel that Sam's announcement is nothing more than a publicity stunt. Race, sexuality, and gender, are all major traits that have been the cause of discrimination. Just because one trait is more visible than others doesn't make it any less of a barrier to be broken, especially in pro sports.

It's hard to say there was a "good" time for Sam to come out publicly. If he does it right after the season, it can be seen as a distraction, or a way to grab attention away from others.

Had he come out after the draft, how much more of a "distraction" or "circus" could it have been? What about during the regular season, or even playoffs?

This news generates publicity. That's how we are as a society. And while the OWN documentary fed fuel on the pro-distraction side, at least announcing this early enough in the off-season (and during the combine) would give NFL teams a heads up on how they would deal with the extra media coverage. Is this different from "Hard Knocks"? Yes and no... No, because many coaches have gone on the record stating they need to spend their time focusing on the upcoming season, and not what and where the cameras would be filming; yes, because in Sam's case, the coverage is about him specifically, and while it naturally would cover future teammates' reactions, they wouldn't be covered 24/7.

Was the OWN show supposed to air this season? I don't think it would have been as much of an issue if it were broadcast after the season ended. Sam can still be the focus, but there won't be extra "coverage of the coverage", so to speak.

[IceCap]

What about during the regular season, or even playoffs?

Pffft. Like the Rams are making the playoffs

[DEAD!]

What about during the regular season, or even playoffs?

Pffft. Like the Rams are making the playoffs

[Mora] Playoffs? [/Mora]

[Braden]

Michael Sam can do more for his football career and his influence to the LGBT community if he MAKES THE TEAM. Nothing else should matter right now.

Screw the OWN documentary, Oprah will have to wait. This story's not over.

[rams80]

This is an organization that is fairly desperate for any publicity. I'm fairly certain he'll make the team.

[STL FANATIC]

This is an organization that is fairly desperate for any publicity. I'm fairly certain he'll make the team.

I'm not entirely sure how true the first part is. Although maybe you're right given that "predict the schedule" contest. I just can't think of too many other "stunts" they've pulled for the sake of publicity before that.

But I think you're right about the second part, I'm just not sure it has anything to do with the first. Regardless of what they say, I think he'll get the benefit of the doubt. If he's anywhere close, I think they'll find a spot for him. That's probably natural though, even though in an ideal world it's not even a factor.

[NJTank]

Apparently there was a documentary about Glenn Burke

[rams80]

I proclaim Peter LaBarbera to be anathema, and as sign of his anathem status, that he be subjected to the Rhinokopia and Blinding.* It is hoped that in finding his new path through life as a social and physical cripple, he finds his way back to salvation.

*Man, the Byzantines roll hard yo!

[Soarindude]

Why even write an article about some religious-nut that doesn't need any publicity in the first place. He runs a low level organization that, according to Wikipedia, revenue only stands at 100k a year. People like this shouldn't even get the medias time of day.